'Dancing' into 'Reality'

Dancing darling Lacey Schwimmer has always been a fan favorite on the reality competition ‚??Dancing with the Stars,‚?Ě a show she was part of for six seasons after jumpstarting her career on ‚??So You Think You Can Dance‚?Ě in 2007. So when the lineup for Season 14 of ‚??SYTYCD‚?Ě was announced earlier this year and her name was absent from the roster, fans were left wondering where she had gone.

Another season of ‚??SYTYCD‚?Ě isn‚??t ruled out for the 24-year-old; she‚??s just taking some time to concentrate on other facets of her career, such as choreographing shows and delving deeper into a solo music venture.

Schwimmer will be a part of the Reality Check event at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Dec. 29 alongside her Season 11 dancing partner Kyle Massey.

We chatted with the bubbly blonde, who was moments away from stepping into dance rehearsal.

THE WEEKENDER: You‚??ve had plenty of different dancing partners over the seasons you were on ‚??Dancing with the Stars.‚?Ě How is it decided who is going to dance with who?

LACEY SCHWIMMER: It really comes down to personality. The producers and the casting directors know us as dancers very well; they know what we‚??re capable of doing. They‚??ll pair us up with someone we have a conflict with, or someone we‚??ll get along with really well. It‚??s really them putting together a perfect casting as a whole.

W: Who was your favorite dance partner?

LS: I‚??ve been on it six or seven times, and my first season was crazy. I just got off ‚??So You Think You Can Dance‚?Ě and I came into a show where I‚??m dancing with celebrities, and it was like, ‚??Oh my God, what am I doing here? I don‚??t belong here!‚?Ě That‚??s when I was with Lance Bass (of boy band N‚??Sync), and it‚??s something I‚??ll never forget. It changed my life. I have had a lot of different people, like I had Steve-O from ‚??Jackass‚?Ě‚?Ľ

W: That was probably interesting.

LS: I honestly have nothing bad to say about the guy. He‚??s such a sweet person. He‚??s been through so much in his life. Sometimes it was hard to work with him and make sure he could remember things, but he tried so hard and he loved it. He and I talk to this day.

W: Have you ever had any difficulty with someone?

LS: There‚??s a lot of pressure on people, especially if one week they have a great week and the next they have a terrible one. There‚??s not only a lot of pressure on them, but on you as choreographer and teacher to make them deliver. There‚??s definitely tension. Everyone‚??s tired and stressed. But the second you go on the floor, it doesn‚??t even matter. It‚??s so much fun, and you forget all the troubles you had during the week. You just go on TV in front of millions of people and shake it. I think it‚??s a good release for America to see people having a good time.

W: Do you have a favorite dance from your time on the show?

LS: It‚??s funny because it‚??s something that was really silly and thrown together in probably 10 minutes. Kyle (Massey, Season 11 partner) and I are actually performing it at Mohegan Sun. They do this thing called ‚??instant dance,‚?Ě where you pull a dance out of a hat and don‚??t know what it is until 30 minutes before you can do it, so you have to create a routine on the spot. Kyle is such a ham; he and I literally can‚??t be serious with each other. We ended up doing a jive to ‚??Good Golly Miss Molly,‚?Ě and it was one of the best dances. They still play that back as one of the best instant dances.

W: If dancing were no longer an option, what would you want to do as a profession?

LS: I went to hair and makeup school at Paul Mitchell Academy. Hair and makeup has always been such a huge thing since I was a little girl ‚?? you know, trying on my mom‚??s Chanel lipstick. I realized that going to school will always be there, but my legs and body will not always be there for dancing, so when, if, I stop dancing, that would be something I‚??d love to fall back on. I‚??ve also recently released my first dance costume line through Discount Dance Supply. I would love to venture into clothing somewhere down the line.